edi Professional Services

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Why do projects fail? Are you having trouble justifying why you need Project Management and Systems Engineering functions for you project? The following websites provide some useful insights and ammunition to justify investing in planning and governance right from the start of your project. The URL below cites the following reasons for why projects fail: Poor planning Unclear goals and objectives Objectives changing during the project Unrealistic time or resource estimates Lack of executive support and user involvement Failure to communicate and act as a team Inappropriate skills Please take a look at: https://61.29.0.214/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.projectperfect.com.au/info_it_projects_fail.php The URL below cites the following reasons for why projects fail: Setting an overly ambitious project scope The lack of project methodology (one of the reasons you should contact Noventus!) Poor user input and requirements gathering (we also discussed this yesterday) The lack of support from senior management Poor interpersonal skills Please take a look at: https://61.29.0.214/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.itmanagement.earthweb.com/cio/article.php/2201981 This URL cites the following reasons for why projects fail: Unrealistic Schedules Inappropriate Staffing (do you have the right skills in the team at present?) Changing Requirements during Development (need processes/tools for CM / Traceability etc) Poor-Quality Work (design reviews and audits are essential) Believing in Magic (COTS solutions do not always save the day - I have seen this happen many time when architects skip requirements analysis and go immediately to a solution) Please take a look at: https://61.29.0.214/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.computerworld.com/developmenttopics/development/story/0,10801,71209,00.html The URL below cites the following reasons for why projects fail: Lack of User Involvement Long or Unrealistic Time Scales (a common theme) Poor or No Requirements Scope Creep No Change Control System Poor Testing (I would like to add "Lack of Planning/Focus on Integration Tasks and Risks" as integration has some relevance to your project) Please take a look at: https://61.29.0.214/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.coleyconsulting.co.uk/failure.htm The URL below cites the following reasons for why projects fail: Top 10 Reasons Why Projects Fail Inadequately trained and/or inexperienced project managers; Failure to set and manage expectations; Poor leadership at any and all levels; Failure to adequately identify, document and track requirements; Poor plans and planning processes; Poor effort estimation; Cultural and ethical misalignment; Misalignment between the project team and the business or other organization it serves; Inadequate or misused methods; and Inadequate communication, including progress tracking and reporting. Please take a look at: https://61.29.0.214/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.projectmanagement.tas.gov.au/f_sheets/why_project_management_fsv1.0.rtf

posted by Keith Armstrong at 1:31 PM | 0 comments

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Make money on the internet by using your own website to advertise other companies products and services.

First you need a website. If you want some very user friendly software for developing a website in just a few hours go to: http://www.xsitepro.com/cmd.php?af=340134.

Second you need to read Joel Comm's book "What Google Never Told You About Making Money with AdSense!" - see http://keitha00.jcomm.hop.clickbank.net

Third start making money with Adsense!!

posted by Keith Armstrong at 2:30 PM | 0 comments

Monday, January 02, 2006

Consulting/Professional Services Business Development Checklist Here is a checklist for developing and managing a Professional Services business: List your business in applicable databases & directories Teamwork Business card distribution - at every opportunity Continuously feed the marketing funnel - prospecting Write articles and white papers - thought leadership Send newsletters and other useful information to clients periodically Identify future options via environmental trend analysis Conduct workshops and seminars Develop a process that balances marketing sales and account management Focus on existing clients - penetration and diversification Client success Up to date and relevant brochures Sell or disseminate articles, whitepapers, reports, books and newsletters and paid speaking assignments - describing the company's ideology Client referrals from other firms - obtain cross referrals from allied professional organisations eg accountants Become members of professional organisations or networking forums Disseminate case studies and newsletters describing company services and other useful information Use email and websites to maintain visibility Conduct social events to thank good clients Identify and nuture coaches within client organisations who will provide assistance on how to do business with that organisation Always apply qualification checklists for each opportunity Continuous marketing Use small assignments as leverage for bigger assignments Quality vs Quantity Always provide some Intellectual Property or other useful information to the client to gain their confidence Preparation is never wasted Strive for quality suspect/prospect meetings - have an agenda and SPIN Selling questions ready - understand the client's business Establish a greater number of relationships in your marketplace Measure and repot metrics such as conversion rates Develop checklists and processes for finding and qualifying opportunities - suspect/prospect meetings

posted by Keith Armstrong at 2:45 PM | 0 comments

SPIN Selling and Professional Services For a structured approach to sales it is recommended that sales professionals take a look at SPIN Selling (Situtaion, Problem, Implication and Need) developed by Huthwaite Inc. SPIN Selling builds on the premise that during client interactions, sales professionals need a structured suite of questions that lead their clients through stages of their awareness and readiness to commit to a sale of a solution to solve a problem or need. There a many websites that provide definitions of SPIN Selling - see http://www.huthwaite.com/. However, once you have answered the question of "What is SPIN Selling?" then the next question is how do you apply SPIN Selling to your own situation. In short, the SPIN selling process needs to be tailored for your own context. In particular, have you ever wondered how to apply SPIN Selling to selling of professional services? What do "situation", "problem", "implication" and "needs" etc really mean when you are selling something intangible such as professional services. Lets start with Situation Questions, evolve to Problem Questions, navigate to Implication Questions and finish with Need-Payoff Questions. Situation Questions More in the next installment ...

posted by Keith Armstrong at 3:19 AM | 0 comments

 
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